AHL: Veterans provide spark for Worcester Sharks

One of professional sports most revered commandments, uttered frequently by members of the coaching fraternity and front office types, is that if you think like a fan, pretty soon you'll be one.

So far, with the Sharks' season more than 25 percent complete and the team in first place in the Atlantic Division, it looks like their fans were right.

When San Jose's hockey executives visited the DCU Center last winter and took questions from the die-hards, one of the most common themes was that Worcester's roster needed a better core of experienced players. Whether those players fell into the AHL's legal definition of “veteran” was a different story, but Sharks fans had seen enough of rosters top-heavy with rookies and second-year men.

Indeed, Worcester has a more experienced roster this season. Some of it is by the normal yearly progression from rookie to sophomore to experienced, and some of it is by design.

However it happened — whether by signing Bracken Kearns, Jon Matsumoto, Danny Groulx, etc, or by bringing back Matt Pelech, Jimmy Bonneau and the like, or simply by keeping a John McCarthy — San Jose has put a more experienced team in Worcester than it has for several seasons.

Eventually, it fits together with things like the return of Alex Stalock and the blossoming of Tim Kennedy into a better record. Where it is most obvious, though, is how well the Sharks have played in the third period this season. Failure in the final 20 minutes was the most obvious shortcoming of last year's team and that spoke directly to a lack of experience and a lack of leadership.

It has been the exact opposite in 2012-13, with a notable exception of last night. The third period often has been the Sharks' best period. When they have a chance to win heading into the third, even if they are down a goal or two, they usually do win, or at least come away with a point.

So, does that mean if a fan starts thinking like an executive, pretty soon he'll be one?

Questions:

1. Who holds the Sharks all-time record, among skaters, for most career games played without ever having been penalized?

2. What one-time Worcester defenseman holds an AHL record by having played for 11 teams?

3. What is the last Canadian-based team to lead the league in regular-season attendance?

Answers below.

The Sharks' record is exactly what it would have been if the league had not installed video replay equipment. However, Providence would have won the game in Providence and Worcester would have won the game in Worcester, a better outcome for the fans. Replay will not change anything over the long run, but in these two cases, it benefited individual players who were credited with points they otherwise would not have. Part B —– this is twice in two seasons pucks have gone through the net at the DCU Center. Time to fix that. … Condolences to the family of Kevin Fox, a longtime fixture at Sharks home games with the arena security crew. He passed away suddenly last weekend, and his friendly greetings will be sorely missed. … The Sharks Booster Club always steps it up for the holidays. It collected $750 worth of toys at the annual holiday party and will donate more worth $1,000, all to Friendly House. The Player Ornament Raffle raised $720 and the boosters will add enough to that to get to $1,000. That will go to the Worcester Junior Sharks Michael Ellsessar Scholarship Fund. … San Antonio goalie Jacob Markstrom is Player of the Week. He went 4-0-0 and stopped 130 of 137 shots for the Rampage. Markstrom will have some new experienced help in front of him as the Rampage signed old IceCats friend Mike Mottau, along with veteran forward Jon Sim.

As well as the Springfield Falcons have played this season, their longest winning streak is three games. In fact, no Falcons team has won four in a row since December, 2006. Springfield's next game is against Providence tomorrow night and the Bruins are streaking, too. Each of their last four games had ended in a 3-2 score, with Providence winning three in a row after losing to the Sharks. … How about Frazer McLaren's game in Manchester on Sunday? Even though he didn't make the score sheet, he was credited with five scoring chances on the team chart and had six official shots on goal. McLaren had just nine shots on goal in his first 13 games combined. … The capacity crowd of 18,506 that saw Hershey beat Norfolk , 2-1, in Washington a week ago was the 11th largest in league history and the seventh-largest indoors. Even though the Bears are Washington's affiliate, the game was one of Norfolk's 38 home dates, so the Admirals get credit for the attendance. If Hershey had been the home team, the Bears would be averaging 11,302 for the season.

It's a long drive to Portland, Bridgeport or even Manchester.

One can only hear “Crocodile Rock” or “Fly Like an Eagle” so many times before shutting down the radio, so what's an active mind to do as the exits zip past?

One time-occupier is wondering about things like, say, has any American Hockey League player ever worn his last name on both the front and back of his jersey at the same time?

The answer is no, but that could change if the Sharks trade Freddie Hamilton to Hamilton.

Not that they want to. San Jose sees Hamilton as having the potential to be a John McCarthy-type player, which is a pretty thing to shoot for. Still, this is a chance to do something that has never been done in AHL history, which goes back to 1936.

The possibilities are pretty small. Nobody has Scranton-Wilkes-Barre for a last name, or even Syracuse. There have been Bostons, Portlands, Richmonds, Hamptons and Houstons in pro hockey. Heck, Martin St. Louis could still do it in the NHL. However, there have been only two last names of players that match up with AHL cities. Bryon Baltimore played for Springfield in from 1972 to 1974 when the Baltimore Clippers were in the league and several Hamiltons have skated in the AHL.

None, however, for the Hamilton Canucks or the current Bulldogs. Ryan Hamilton plays for Toronto and you can almost see Hamilton from there. Curtis Hamilton plays in Oklahoma City and Wacey Hamilton is on the Binghamton roster. Dougie Hamilton, brother of Freddie, is Bruins property and could be in the AHL later this year, but that would be with Providence.

Some AHL team has to make a deal — even if it's just a loan. After all, think of how much the jersey would be worth.

1. Defenseman Will Colbert played in 19 games, all in the 2009-10 season, without making a trip to the penalty box.

2. Steve Bancroft, who was in 21 games for the 2002-03 IceCats, played for 11 AHL teams during his career. The only one he got into more than 100 games for was the Binghamton Senators, with 106. The coach whom Bancroft played the most games for is Roy Sommer at 152. Sommer had him in Kentucky in 2000-01, and again the next year in Cleveland after the Thoroughblades relocated.

3. The Quebec Aces topped all AHL teams in attendance in 1967-68, drawing an average of 6,034 to Le Colisee.

Ex-IceCat Craig Conroy is an assistant to the general manager with the Calgary Flames; Dwight Helminen is back in his native Michigan and president of Brighton Shades; Bobby Farnham, the Brown University product whom the Sharks looked at for three games last year, has been signed to an AHL contract by Wilkes-Barre.

Patrick Wellar, the last IceCat — he made his debut on April 16, 2005, the franchise's next to last game ever — plays for Hershey and could be in the Bears lineup Saturday night; original IceCat Blair Atcheynum has a sign business in his native North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and is an assistant coach with the Battlefords North Stars of the Saskatchewan Junior League.